He died along with his wife and two of their children when a bomb went off at Kabul airport.
One of the British nationals killed in the Kabul bomb attack has been named as Mohammad Niazi, a taxi driver who lived in Hampshire.
Niazi had travelled to Afghanistan on Tuesday, August 24, to rescue his family from the country following the Taliban takeover.
The father-of-four was killed in the suicide bombing at the airport on Thursday. His wife and two daughters also died in the blast.
Sky News reports that the couple’s two year-old son and other daughter are currently being treated in hospital for their injuries.
Mr Niazi’s wife had been in the process of completing her UK visa application when she died in the blast. Between 79 and 169 Afghans were killed in the attack, which Islamic State have claimed responsibility for. Thirteen Us military personnel, and two Britons, including Mr Niazi, also died in the bombing.
His friend, Imran Niazi, said that Mohammad had been “desperate” to help his family and believed he was “one of the lucky ones” when he managed to secure a flight out to Kabul.
“He was that excited to help bring his family home,” Imran told Sky News.
“He was very, very desperate. To be that desperate to travel to Azerbaijan, from Azerbaijan to Kabul… it’s almost three days/four days journey.
“You can imagine, to go past all those Taliban checkpoints, you can tell how desperate he was.”
Imran and Mohammad had lived together, and Imran gave him a lift to the airport to catch his flight to Afghanistan.
Related links:
Afghanistan: British nationals amongst those killed in Kabul airport attack
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He said that his “heart is in pieces.”
“His car is parked outside my door, his bedroom is opposite the living room, we see his things everyday, everything reminds us of him. We don’t know how to get over it.
“He worked 16 or 17 hours a day as a taxi driver to give them a better life. He was so happy whenever he saved up to buy new clothes and toys. Everything was for the benefit of his kids to give them the best life ever.
“We’ve known each other for 14 years. He was like my brother rather than my friend.”
Imran’s family managed to secure a place on a flight to the UK, but he said that he doesn’t “have the happiness to celebrate” because of the death of his close friend.
“I’m gonna have my kids with me after 10 days after their quarantining is over, but I cannot really feel it.
“I cannot feel it because Mohammad is no longer here.”
